Sports ball sheet, sports ball and manufacturing method for sports ball

Abstract

Disclosed are a sports ball sheet, a sports ball and a manufacturing method for a sports ball. The sports ball sheet (1) comprises a body part (10), wherein the body part (10) comprises a skin layer (11), a foaming layer (12) and a reinforcing layer (13), the foaming layer (12) being connected between the skin layer (11) and the reinforcing layer (13); and a bonding part (20) formed on the outer periphery of the body part (10), wherein the bonding part (20) has a plurality of longitudinal bonding surfaces (21) and a plurality of transverse bonding surfaces (22), and the sports ball sheets (1) are mutually bonded and spliced and adhered to an inner bladder (30) to form a sports ball. The sports ball sheet, which is prepared by means of molding technology, has the advantages of a low shrinkage rate, high material size precision and avoidanceof the generation of waste materials at corners of a foaming material, the bonding strength and durability can be improved by means of mutual bonding at the bonding part, and the sports ball sheet has the advantages of being eco-friendly, reduced costs and a simplified production process.

Description

Sports ball plate, sports ball and manufacturing method of sports ball Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a spherical object, specifically a sports ball plate, a sports ball, and a method for manufacturing a sports ball, and more particularly to a sports ball outer skin and a sports ball made from it. Background Technology

[0002] Existing sports balls generally consist of two main components: an outer skin and an inner tube system. The outer skin is composed of an outer leather layer and a foam layer. The outer leather layer can be made of PVC, PVB, TPU, or PU, while the foam layer can be made of NBR, EVA, SBR, RB, PU, ​​TPR, TPE, or EPDM foam, etc. They are bonded together using an adhesive and a composite device to form a sports ball outer skin material that combines wear resistance and resilience. The inner tube system generally consists of two main components: reinforcing yarn or fabric and a rubber inner tube. These materials are formed by randomly winding the yarn or manually bonding the fabric to the surface of the rubber inner tube to form a reinforcing layer, effectively controlling the size and roundness of the sports ball.

[0003] Taking a soccer ball as an example, its production utilizes heat bonding technology. The outer skin production process includes foil material lamination, composite material cutting and shaping, outer skin printing and applying gold oil, and outer skin edge folding and shaping with adhesive. The inner tube production process includes fabric backing adhesive rolling, fabric cutting and shaping, inner tube surface adhesive brushing, and inner tube surface bonding fabric to form the inner tube. Finally, the outer skin and inner tube are combined to form the ball.

[0004] Taking a basketball as an example, it generally consists of two main components: an outer skin layer and a rubber inner tube system. The outer skin layer can be made of genuine leather or synthetic leather, such as microfiber, PU, ​​and PVC. The rubber inner tube system generally consists of three main components: a rubber layer, a yarn layer, and a rubber inner tube. Current technology requires the inner tube to be first wound with yarn, then the rubber sheet is attached to the surface of the yarn layer, and then it is heated and vulcanized. After vulcanization, the black basketball inner tube still needs to be trimmed, sanded, and coated with adhesive. Finally, the leather is manually attached to the surface of the inner tube.

[0005] The existing methods for splicing sports ball pieces, such as the Chinese invention patent with authorization announcement number CN 1739826B entitled "A Method for Manufacturing Leather Ball Pieces," involve forming a flat surface on the end face of the ball piece using hot pressing or high-frequency welding, which serves as an edge folding function. The splicing part involves applying adhesive to the outer side of the end face of the leather ball piece to bond the end face of the leather ball piece, thus achieving the purpose of joining. The overall strength of the ball's outer skin must be achieved by applying adhesive to the joint surface between the ball piece and the inner core. Applying adhesive to the outer side of the end face of the ball piece and bonding the end face of the ball piece is only for enhancing the joint and waterproofing.

[0006] However, since both the outer leather layer and the foam layer are made of roll material, the polygonal sheet structure needs to be punched out with a punch and then the edges need to be smoothed by pressing with a mold. This process consumes a lot of edge material, and the roll material has a high shrinkage rate, which easily leads to waste of raw materials. In addition, the whole process involves many steps, all of which are done manually, which is time-consuming and costly. Therefore, the existing sports ball has the aforementioned problems and shortcomings in its overall structure and manufacturing process, which need to be improved.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a sports ball plate, a sports ball, and a method for manufacturing a sports ball. The sports ball plate is manufactured by molding technology and a joint is formed between each sports ball plate, thereby increasing structural strength, reducing waste material at the edges and corners, and reducing costs.

[0009] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention employs a design of a motion ball plate, which is an arc-shaped plate and comprises:

[0010] A body portion comprising an outer skin layer, a foam layer and a reinforcing layer, wherein the foam layer is connected between the outer skin layer and the reinforcing layer, and the outer skin layer has a plurality of grooves formed on the other side of the foam layer.

[0011] A joint portion is formed on the outer periphery of the main body portion. The joint portion has multiple longitudinal joint surfaces and multiple transverse joint surfaces, and each of the longitudinal joint surfaces and each of the transverse joint surfaces are interconnected.

[0012] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention further employs a technical means of designing a sports ball, which comprises:

[0013] Multiple sports balls;

[0014] An inner tube, in which each of the sports ball pieces is bonded together at the joint and attached to the surface of the inner tube to form a spherical shape.

[0015] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention further employs a method for manufacturing a sports ball, which is applied to the aforementioned sports ball. This method includes the following steps:

[0016] 1. Outer skin layer printing and cutting steps: The outer skin layer can be printed with patterns and cut into specific sheet shapes according to user requirements.

[0017] 2. Step of placing a bottom mold into the outer skin layer: The bottom mold is a mold whose shape corresponds to the outer skin layer.

[0018] 3. Step of placing the reinforcing layer into an upper mold: The upper mold is a mold whose shape corresponds to the reinforcing layer, and the upper mold has a pouring hole through it.

[0019] 4. Foaming material injection into the bottom mold: After the upper mold and the bottom mold are combined, an internal space is formed between the outer skin layer and the reinforcing layer. The foaming material is injected through the pouring hole and fills the internal space to form the foaming layer.

[0020] 5. Steps for assembling the sports ball pieces into a ball: Demold the sports ball pieces, glue and splice each sports ball piece together and attach it to the surface of the inner tube to form a sports ball.

[0021] The advantages of this invention are that by using molding technology to inject foam material between the outer skin layer and the reinforcing layer, these sports ball pieces not only have low shrinkage and high material dimensional accuracy to conform to the curved surface structure of the sports ball, but also have strength and durability. Moreover, the molding technology can avoid the generation of waste material at the edges of the foam material, reducing the amount of foam material used. Compared with the prior art, the manufacturing process can omit steps such as foil material composite, composite material cutting and molding, outer skin folding and shaping with adhesive, and inner tube surface bonding fabric. It has the advantages of being environmentally friendly, reducing costs and simplifying the production process. Furthermore, the molding process can be combined with robotic arms to achieve automated production.

[0022] The joints between the sports balls can create a structure similar to tenon or hook joints. In addition to increasing the contact area and bonding strength, this also reduces the need for reinforcement layer strength compared to existing technologies, thereby reducing production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The following figures are intended only to illustrate and explain the present invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 is a partial exploded view of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 is an external view of the sports ball plate 1A of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the motion ball plate 1A of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 is an external view of the sports ball plate 1B of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the motion ball plate 1B of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 is an external view of the sports ball plate 1C of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connection between the two moving ball plates of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 9 is a mold appearance diagram of the sports ball plate of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the demolding of the sports ball sheet of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 11 shows the manufacturing steps of the sports ball plate of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 12 is an appearance view of another embodiment of the sports ball plate of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the sports ball plate of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 14 is an external view of a basketball embodiment of the sports ball of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 15 is a partial exploded view of a basketball embodiment of the sports ball of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 16 is a partial enlarged view of a basketball embodiment of the sports ball of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 17 is an external view of an embodiment of the rugby ball of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 18 is a partial exploded view of an embodiment of the rugby ball of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 19 is a partial enlarged view of an embodiment of the rugby ball of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments of the present invention, further illustrates the technical means employed by the present invention to achieve its intended purpose.

[0044] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. The sports ball 1 of the present invention includes a body portion 10 and a connecting portion 20.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 2 to 5. The main body 10 is an arc-shaped sheet conforming to the appearance of a sports ball, such as a pentagon, hexagon, or other polygonal sheet. It has an inner side and an outer side. The aforementioned inner side is a side with an inward arc shape, and the outer side is a side with an outward arc shape. It includes an outer skin layer 11, a foam layer 12, and a reinforcing layer 13. The foam layer 12 is connected between the outer skin layer 11 and the reinforcing layer 13. The outer skin layer 11 can be made of materials such as PVC, PVB, TPU, or PU. The foam layer 12 can be made of NBR, EVA, SBR, RB, PU, ​​TPR, TPE, or EPDM. The reinforcing layer 13 can be made of materials such as foam, and can be composed of yarn or fabric. The outer skin layer 11, foam layer 12 and reinforcing layer 13 are all spherical materials in the prior art, so they will not be described in detail. Multiple grooves 112 are formed on the other side of the outer skin layer 11 relative to the foam layer 12, but this is not a limitation, and grooves 112 may not be formed.

[0046] The connecting portion 20 is formed on the outer periphery of the body portion 10. Specifically, the connecting portion 20 has multiple longitudinal connecting surfaces 21 and multiple transverse connecting surfaces 22. Each longitudinal connecting surface 21 and each transverse connecting surface 22 are sequentially connected to each other by a longitudinal connecting surface 21 and a transverse connecting surface 22. In this embodiment, the longitudinal connecting surfaces 21 and the transverse connecting surfaces 22 are perpendicular to each other, and the longitudinal connecting surfaces 21 and the transverse connecting surfaces 22 form a structure that can be used for tenoning or hooking. The aforementioned longitudinal connecting surfaces 21 and transverse connecting surfaces 22 are not limited to being perpendicular to each other. In other embodiments, they may also be inclined surfaces. Please refer to Figure 4. From the cross-sectional view, each moving ball piece 1 has three longitudinal connecting surfaces 21 and two transverse connecting surfaces 22 on one side, which constitute a The protrusion 23 and the concave portion 24 are located between the protrusion 23 and the body portion 10. Specifically, the concave portion adjacent to the body portion 10 is composed of two longitudinal joint surfaces 21 and a transverse joint surface 22. The transverse joint surface 22 forms an inward concave structure at the bottom end between the two longitudinal joint surfaces 21. The protrusion 23 is composed of two longitudinal joint surfaces 21 and a transverse joint surface 22. One of the longitudinal joint surfaces 21 of the protrusion 23 and one of the longitudinal joint surfaces 21 of the concave portion 24 are the same surface. The transverse joint surface 22 forms an outward convex structure at the top end between the two longitudinal joint surfaces 21. Please refer to Figure 8. Therefore, the joint portion 20 of any two moving ball pieces 1 can be connected and hooked together by the protrusion 23 of one moving ball piece 1 and the concave portion 24 of the other moving ball piece 1.

[0047] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. This invention can assemble a sports ball from multiple sports ball pieces 1 and an inner tube 30, using a soccer ball as an example, but not limited to soccer balls; it can be applied to any type of ball with a leather backing. The inner tube 30 is a sphere made of polymer material, a component of existing technology, and therefore will not be described in detail again, but the material is not limited to the aforementioned. Each sports ball piece 1 is joined together by bonding portions 20 and adhered to the surface of the inner tube 30, thereby assembling a sports ball. The aforementioned process is illustrated using six sports ball pieces 1, each an octagonal piece, joined together as an example, but this is not a limitation. Please refer to Figures 2, 3, 5, and 7. The six sports ball pieces 1 contain three types of bonding portions 20. Therefore, the following description distinguishes the six sports ball pieces 1 by different forms of bonding portions 20, using three component symbols (1A, 1B, 1C). Please refer to Figures 3 and 4 (only one sports ball piece 1A is shown), where the bonding portions 20 of two sports ball pieces 1A are adjacent to the sports ball piece 1. The inner surface of the body part 10, in other words, the joint 20 protrudes outward from the circumference of the body part 10 near the inner surface, and the recess 24 faces the outer surface; please refer to Figures 5 and 6 (only one sports ball 1B is shown), the joint 20 of both sports ball 1B is near the outer surface of the sports ball 1, in other words, the joint 20 protrudes outward from the circumference of the body part 10 near the outer surface, and the recess 24 faces the inner surface; please refer to Figure 7 (only one sports ball 1C is shown), the recess 24 of the joint 20 of the two sports ball 1C is partially facing the inner surface and partially facing the outer surface, specifically In this diagram, the direction from the lower left to the upper right is considered as the two ends, and the direction from the upper left to the lower right is considered as the two sides. Each end has two end edges 14, and the concave portion 24 of the joint portion 20 located on the end edge 14 faces the inner side. Each side has two side edges 15, and the concave portion 24 of the joint portion 20 located on the side edge 15 faces the outer side. Thus, when the six sports ball pieces 1 are spliced, the sports ball pieces 1 of the same form are set in the opposite positions to complete the splicing. That is, after splicing, the two sports ball pieces 1A are not adjacent, the two sports ball pieces 1B are not adjacent, and the two sports ball pieces 1C are not adjacent. The arrangement of the joint portion 20 is not limited to the above, and the user can change it according to the needs.

[0048] In other embodiments, a reinforcing fabric layer (not shown in the figures) may be provided between the inner tube 30 and the body 10. The reinforcing fabric layer may be a winding or a patch to improve structural rigidity, but is not limited thereto; other materials with reinforcing effects may also be used.

[0049] Please refer to Figures 4, 9 to 11. The method for manufacturing the sports ball of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0050] 1. Printing and cutting steps of outer skin layer 11: The outer skin layer 11 can be printed with patterns and cut into specific sheet shapes according to user requirements.

[0051] 2. Step b: The outer skin layer 11 is placed into a bottom mold 40. The bottom mold 40 is a mold whose shape corresponds to the outer skin layer 11.

[0052] 3. Step c: The upper mold 50 is a mold whose shape corresponds to the upper mold 13, and the upper mold 50 has a pouring hole 51 through it.

[0053] 4. Injecting foam material into bottom mold 40 step d: After the upper mold 50 and the bottom mold 40 are combined, an internal space is formed between the outer skin layer 11 and the reinforcing layer 13. The foam material is injected through the pouring hole 51 and fills the internal space to form the foam layer 12.

[0054] 5. Step e: Assemble the sports ball pieces 1 into a ball: Demold the sports ball pieces 1, glue and splice each sports ball piece 1 together and stick it to the surface of the inner tube 30, thereby forming a sports ball.

[0055] In the aforementioned process, since the foam material is injected between the outer skin layer 11 and the reinforcing layer 13 using molding technology, the sports ball pieces 1 not only have low shrinkage and high material dimensional accuracy to conform to the curved structure of the sports ball appearance, but also have strength and durability. Moreover, the molding technology can avoid the generation of waste material at the edges of the foam material, reducing the amount of foam material used. Compared with the existing technology, the manufacturing process can omit steps such as foil material composite, composite material cutting and molding, outer skin folding and shaping with glue, and inner tube 30 surface bonding fabric. It has the advantages of being environmentally friendly, reducing costs and simplifying the production process. Furthermore, the molding process can be combined with robotic arms to achieve the purpose of automated production.

[0056] The sports ball pieces 1 can form a structure similar to a tenon or hook by joining them through the joint 20. In addition to increasing the contact area and increasing the bonding strength, it can also reduce the strength requirement of the reinforcing layer 13 compared with the prior art, thereby reducing the production cost.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 12 and 13 for another embodiment of the present invention. The main difference lies in the position of the groove 112D. Specifically, in the aforementioned embodiment, the groove 112 is formed directly on the outer surface of the outer skin layer 11 when the sports ball piece 1 is formed. In this embodiment, the groove 112D is formed at the joint portion 20D between any two sports ball pieces 1 after they are joined. In other words, in this embodiment, an arc surface 211 is formed near the outer side of the longitudinal joint surface 21 of the joint portion 20. Therefore, when any two sports ball pieces 1 are joined, the groove 112D is formed between two adjacent arc surfaces 211.

[0058] Please refer to Figures 14 to 16, which show an embodiment of the basketball of the present invention. The inner tube 30 is the same as the previous embodiment, except that it includes eight sports ball pieces 1E. The eight sports ball pieces 1E include four types of connecting parts 20E. The connecting method can be referred to the previous embodiment of the soccer ball. They all have a structure of convex part 23E and concave part 24E and are hooked together. Therefore, they will not be described in detail. The form of the sports ball pieces 1E is not limited to the figure and can be changed according to the user's needs.

[0059] When applied to the production of basketballs, the aforementioned process can eliminate steps such as inner tube winding, attaching rubber sheets to the yarn layer surface, heating and vulcanizing, trimming and polishing the inner tube surface and applying adhesive, and manually attaching leather to the inner tube surface, which can significantly improve production efficiency and reduce production costs.

[0060] Please refer to Figures 17 to 19, which show an embodiment of the rugby ball of the present invention. The inner tube 30F is rugby ball shaped and is covered with four sports ball pieces 1F. Each of the four sports ball pieces 1F has a connecting part 20F with the same structure. Each side of the sports ball piece 1F has a protrusion 23F and a concave part 24F respectively. The openings of the concave parts 24F of the connecting parts 20F on both sides of the sports ball piece 1F face opposite directions. Therefore, the four sports ball pieces 1F of this embodiment can be hooked and connected to each other in sequence around the inner tube 30F. The form of the sports ball pieces 1F is not limited to the figure and can be changed according to the user's needs.

[0061] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content as equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sports ball, wherein, The sports ball is an arc-shaped piece and includes: A body portion comprising an outer skin layer, a foam layer and a reinforcing layer, wherein the foam layer is connected between the outer skin layer and the reinforcing layer; A joint portion is formed on the outer periphery of the main body portion. The joint portion has multiple longitudinal joint surfaces and multiple transverse joint surfaces, and each of the longitudinal joint surfaces and each of the transverse joint surfaces are interconnected.

2. The ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the longitudinal mating surfaces is perpendicular to each of the transverse mating surfaces.

3. The sports ball plate as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the longitudinal joint surfaces and each of the transverse joint surfaces forms a protrusion and a recess, the recess being located between the protrusion and the body portion.

4. The sports ball plate as claimed in claim 3, wherein the joint portion has three longitudinal joint surfaces and two transverse joint surfaces, the concave portion is composed of two of the longitudinal joint surfaces and one of the transverse joint surfaces, the aforementioned transverse joint surface is located at the bottom end between the two longitudinal joint surfaces, the convex portion is composed of two of the longitudinal joint surfaces and another transverse joint surface, one of the longitudinal joint surfaces of the convex portion and one of the longitudinal joint surfaces of the concave portion are the same surface, and the aforementioned other transverse joint surface is located at the top end between the two longitudinal joint surfaces.

5. The sports ball as claimed in claim 4, wherein the outer skin layer has a plurality of grooves formed on the other side of the foam layer.

6. A sports ball, wherein, The sports ball contains: Multiple sports ball plates as described in any one of claims 1 to 5; An inner tube, in which each of the sports ball pieces is bonded together at the joint and attached to the surface of the inner tube to form a spherical shape.

7. The ball as described in claim 6, wherein, The sports ball also includes a reinforcing fabric layer disposed between each of the sports ball pieces and the inner tube.

8. A method for manufacturing a sports ball, wherein, The method for manufacturing a sports ball is applied to the sports ball of claim 6 or 7, and the method for manufacturing a sports ball includes the following steps: Outer skin printing and cutting steps: The outer skin can be printed with patterns and cut into specific sheet shapes according to user requirements; Step of inserting a bottom mold into the outer skin layer: The bottom mold is a mold whose shape corresponds to the outer skin layer; Step of placing the reinforcing layer into an upper mold: The upper mold is a mold whose shape corresponds to the reinforcing layer, and the upper mold has a pouring hole through it; Injection of foam material into the bottom mold: After the upper mold and the bottom mold are combined, a layer is formed between the outer skin layer and the reinforcing layer. An internal space, through which foamed material is poured and filled to form the foamed layer; Steps for assembling sports ball pieces into a ball: Demold the sports ball pieces, glue and splice each sports ball piece together and attach it to the surface of the inner tube to form a sports ball.

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